Because I'm a Coward
by Latifah27
Summary: Probably the first Mutant-League fanfic on fanfiction.net, but not the first M.L. fanfic ever written. It's about the thoughts of a minor character, Jukka, and his involvement in a cover-up. PG-13 for swearing.


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Most of you probably aren't familiar with the cartoon series "The Mutant League". In that series, an accident happened years ago that caused everyone in a certain area, known as the 'mutant-zone', to rapidly mutate into various deformed creatures. These mutants found out that most of them had become super-strong as a result. Many of these mutants were just children when the earthquake, which released toxic-gasses into the air, occured.

This accident was the result of multi-millionair Zalgore Prigg storing toxic-waste from his factories right under a stadium. The quake release the fumes from the waste, which caused the mutations. Because of this, Prigg knew he had to make it look like an accident(at least, that's what I gathered from watching one episode where one of the main characters learned about the cover-up from his father), so he kidnapped a few people, football-superstars who had found out about his dirty little secret.

His accomplace, Jukka, is a rather odd fellow. He's so straight-laced, usually in control of his emotions. If you've ever watched the cartoon, he looks like a purple fish with fins on his head that are supposed to resemble hair. And he always wears these weird shades. A few times, I have seen him do the Monsters, a team that is Captained by Bones Justice, who Prigg is constantly trying to discredit, a favor. It seems that Jukka does have something of a conscience left, but he's already in too deep. He's gotten himself into something that he can't get out of, and he's scared. This story is just his thoughts. Sorry about the author's notes being longer than the story, but most readers probably won't know what I'm talking about. Yes, I also probably got some stuff wrong, but whatever... most people probably never even seen that show, and don't know what the heck I'm talking about...

And Bones Justice was one of the people in the stadium when that earthquake happened. He saw his father transform into a living skeleton, then saw his own skin melt off, just before he was carried out of the collapsing stadium.

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I'm responsible for this. It's all my fault. I could've said no, could've told Prig that he couldn't just hide his crap like that, but no... I was greedy. I did it all in the name of the almighty dollar. Jukka, you idiot!

And then it happened. There was an earthquake. How the hell were we supposed to know that the dump-area - and the stadium it was under - were located at the site of an upcoming earthquake? Lack of planning, and then one day, right in the middle of a football game, it happened.

One minute, there were ordinary humans in the bleachers, then the next, they all started morphing into hidious mutants. Everyone within this 'mutant-zone' as it was soon called. Including Prig and myself.

Everything started going to hell after that. There were questions, reporters, some of which were mutated, and others who were still norms, hounding me and Prig, wondering what happened. We had to lie, to say it was a natural disaster, when it was really our damn stupidity. Our stupidity - and greed.

We had two choices: cover-up or 'fess-up. And of course any numb-skull would know what choice we made. That meant, a few people would have to disappear. People like Butch Justice... we kidnapped them, and forced them to work in the dump, to do the menial jobs we should damn-well be doing! We made this mess - not them! So why can't I bring myself to tell the truth???

I'm a wuss. I'm a pansy who's only interested in covering his butt. And because of this, people are suffering as I'm checking the rejuvinators, as I'm going over the injuries and all that other nice shit.

Somebody's missing his house, his nice car, his wife... his children...

I've been plagued by nightmares ever since that incident, and can barely get any sleep at night. That's why I wear these shades. Not because they look cool, but because I want to hide my blood-shot eyes. I want to hide behind my straight-laced demeanor so nobody knows how damned-cowardly I was.

No wonder I look the way I do. I'm an eel, always hiding from my problems, never facing them.

Someday, somebody's going to find out. I'm scared of that, but I know it's going to happen sooner or later, because secrets have a funny way of being revealed. And when Prig goes down, he's going to take me with him. I bought a gun, which I will use when that day comes.

I'll use it, because I'm a coward.


End file.
